A Secluded Area of the Preserve, Thursday Noonish

[intraspective]

Two days of fretting and freaking out internally and feeling like things were going to fall down on her head meant that, when Thursday dawned utterly gorgeous (and neither of them having noticed anything odd about the island), she set about planning. She needed a distraction.

Zack's participation in this idea was secured with some kisses and, honestly, just asking him if he wanted to hang out on a date with her. Ino was straightforward like that, when it suited her to be.

So: picnic. In the preserve! She had food and drinks and even a dorky blanket (it had glossy stars on it!) for them to lounge out on.

Ino also had a Frisbee. The obvious difficulty of using a Frisbee in the preserve hadn't yet occurred to her, as she?

She was busy holding Zack's free hand (he carried the basket, even though as it had been her idea, and Ino still felt like she ought to be the one doing the carrying—but he'd won that discussion before they'd ever left their room) and smiling.

And asking questions. Very important, earth-shaking questions:

"What do you want for your birthday?"

[For the one she's smiling for!]

Comments

[puppy_fair]

"My birthday?" Leave Ino to ask all the unexpected questions, right? "Ino, that's more than a month away!"

Zack laughed a little and leaned sideways, though, to bump his shoulder against hers.

"I don't suppose you'll let me get away with telling you to surprise me, huh?"

[intraspective]

"No!" she laughed, giggled really, and looked up at him. "I need, like, ideas! I might totally ignore them if I find something totally awesome but ideas are shiny. And a month goes by quick!"

So there! Or something?

[puppy_fair]

"Well, there's not much that I really need," Zack pointed out, still chuckling as they went along their way. "ShinRa gets me the essentials for the job, more or less."

No, they didn't. Whatever he got, he had to find or buy on his own. But Zack lived in a shiny place known as 'denial' sometimes.

"So, probably nothing really weapon-y. I've already got armor and accessories and stuff."

[intraspective]

It was nice, out in the preserve. Hot, of course, but the shade the trees gave off easily kept it from being intolerable.

"So something... fun, then?" Hmm. "Birthdays ought to be 'bout what you want not what you need, you know?"

[puppy_fair]

"Well, yeah... But..." Zack tilted his head a little, thinking it over for a moment. "Something I can make memories out of, I guess. After graduation, if ShinRa puts me back to work, I'm going to be on the road more often than not. A memory is way easier to carry along with me than anything else."

And then? A grin, and a little nudge with his elbow.

"What about you? Yours is coming up too, if we're looking forward by months."

[intraspective]

"Me?"

Yes, Ino. You.

"Uh..." Ino looked sheepish. "I have to think of something now, don't I?"

[puppy_fair]

"Yep!" Oh, that absolutely came out as a chirp, yes. "It's only fair, you know!"

And it was! Zack was totally going to flaunt that point, why?

[intraspective]

She was just going to lean into him and laugh as they walked along. That'd show him or something!

Or not, but shush.

"I kinda like the memories thing," she said slowly, ignoring the way her stomach twisted at the thought of graduation and the fact she had no clue where she was going to--be. "But I also like the idea of something... sticky?" Ino frowned, frustrated a bit at the way that sounded. It was all wrong... "Like, something that'll stick 'round. That don't have a short-term bein' there expectancy."

Which she wasn't sure even made sense to her. But that was... what she wanted? Uh.

[puppy_fair]

Zack was making the mental note, yes. Sticky things for Ino.

He was going to rule out double-sided tape right off the bat.

"You want something that can last, then," Zack decided, taking a moment to run what she'd said through his little Ino-to-English translator. "I think I can figure something like that out. I have the time!"

And then he stopped in his tracks and grinned. "How does here look?"

For the picnic. Not for her birthday present.

[intraspective]

It was a very valuable skill, that Ino-to-English translating ability.

"I like it," she decided, taking in the trees and the small clearing. "Perfect for just us."

A beat.

"But not as a gift." Just so he was aware of that.

[puppy_fair]

"Happy birthday?" That came with a tiny, lopsided smile, and a helpless shrug. "No, no, I won't give you part of the preserve, Ino. Promise."

And now that he'd established that much, he was going to put the basket down and flop backwards to take a seat on the ground.

"Or tape."

Brat.

[intraspective]

Braaat!

Ino was going to get the blanket she'd brought along with them out and spread it on the ground and then flop down. He could share the blanket if he wanted.

"Then maybe I ought to just tell you to enjoy your memories," she said impishly. "Kiss you a few more times to add to your collection."

She could totally be bratty too.

[puppy_fair]

Hey, if she was going to be bratty, then he was going to scootch over onto the blanket, bringing a few crunchy leaves along with him via his posterior, and then he was going to go right ahead and claim an early birthday present right there and then.

"As if I'll ever complain about kisses, Ino."

[intraspective]

Well, she certainly wasn't going to complain either. Mmmm kisses. Her smile was soft as she snuggled into him.

"I'd hope not," she murmured, poking him in the side. "Or else I'd have to get upset, I think."

[puppy_fair]

A poke like that was totally going to ruin their kissing groove, was she aware of that? Because Zack was going to take it as an invite to squeak and try to squirm out of the way of her finger (a truly manly squeak, honest), before reaching for the Frisbee and nudging her in the side with it.

Armed poking. Fear.

[intraspective]

And she was just going to dissolve into giggles while making a reach for the Frisbee.

"No playin' 'til after we eat," she informed him, leaning over to try and steal another kiss.

[puppy_fair]

Which totally counted as playing, Zack decided. And so he was going to grope around behind him for the basket, sticking his hand in and pulling out... a sandwich. While kissing! It was an amazing feat of skill and coordination.

That there'd been a large insect trying to get into the basket until he unwittingly chased it away with his hand, he'd never know.

"So," he laughed, once they were done that particular round of kisses, "take a bite! It's not like the Frisbee is going to get very far here in the woods, anyhow."

[intraspective]

She frowned at him, sticking her lower lip out in a pout that did nothing to hide the amusement in her eyes.

"You sayin' you can't play Frisbee in the woods? You totally can," she insisted, and making grabby hands for the sandwich. Yes, there were more, but then she'd have to get up and where was the fun in that? "It's fun."

You really couldn't, Ino, just admit that you made a mistake in bringing it.

[puppy_fair]

"Woods-Frisbee? Really? It kind of sounds more like pinball, to me," Zack decided, grinning and taking a bite of the sandwich with a wink before surrendering it. "You're going to have to prove it, I think."

[intraspective]

Food! She was going to take a bite of that sandwich before giving into the urge to look superior.

"Is that a challenge?"

Mmm sandwich! Nom nom nom!

[puppy_fair]

"You know," Zack leaned his head back, looking thoughtful. "I'm pretty certain that it is."

And then he was looking her way again, grinning. It was totally a challenge, yes.

[intraspective]

And that meant she was going hand that sandwich back to him, after taking one more bite, and grab the Frisbee to twirl around on one finger as she stood up.

"I'll make you sorry for doubting me," she warned, laughing. "Get up!"

And she was going to dart back, to put distance enough between them to throw it his way.

[puppy_fair]

How Zack managed to actually laugh after cramming what was left of the sandwich into his mouth was anybody's best guess, really. Either way, he was on his feet, giving his hands a clap as he bounced backwards to put enough space between himself and Ino to at least get enough distance for the Frisbee to go somewhere.

Sandwich now chewed and swallowed, he gave her a grin and a nod.

"Alright, let's see what you've got, then!"

[intraspective]

There were a few trees in her way, of course, but she could still see him easily. Which meant that, surely, she could get the Frisbee there.

... Right?

Well, she was going to try. And there went the Frisbee! It got around the first tree and then Ino wasn’t sure if it was going to make it to where Zack was and so, well, she was going to be utterly mature and squeeze her eyes shut.

It would suck to be wrong! Even if she was having a hard time keeping from giggling.

[puppy_fair]

It totally made it around the first tree! That was sort of like a quasi-victory in its own right, right?

It grazed the second tree, unfortunately, and saw Zack diving forward to get it before it could ricochet against the third and fly away forever into the woods. He was laughing shortly after, waving the disc in the air for a moment.

"Okay, that wasn't too bad! Heads-up, then!"

And off it went again, back in Ino's direction. With entirely too much force behind it, way too many trees in the way, and a bit of a wobble.

Well, that couldn't end well.

[intraspective]

It really couldn’t. Not at all.

Ino was still laughing as she watched with wide eyes as the Frisbee spectacularly ricochet off first one tree, and then another, and then a third and a fourth before flying off into the woods.

Being Ino, she had to go after it. “I’ve got it!” she carolled, flinging herself after it, and out of sight of Zack but it wasn’t like he couldn’t hear her and—

And Ino never even spotted the black gap that had opened up, too busy with their game.

Her laughter cut off abruptly and the Frisbee landed, innocently, some feet from where she’d been and now was not.

[puppy_fair]

... Well. That was a sudden and foreboding silence.

"Ino?"

Zack waited for a moment, listening. She had to totally just be messing with him, right? Only... That was not the sudden complete halt in laughter that came from good-natured teasing.

"Ino?"

He hit the woods at a run. But by the time he finally found the Frisbee, all that was left was a shifting crackle in the air around him, and a giggling, flitting shadow out of the corner of his eye. Ino was just... Gone.